The Bet
by HopeStrengthLove
Summary: "Let's make a bet, Jackson. Whoever sleeps with Annabeth by the end of Christmas Break wins. Winner gets whatever he chooses." Percy smiled slyly before asking, "That little nerd?" Luke smiled, because he knew what Percy didn't; that Percy would fall for her so hard he'd have bruises. Percy grinned, ignorant to his own downfall, before holding out his hand, "Deal, Castellan."
1. Prologue

The Bet

Prologue

Annabeth Chase

_"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."_

Annabeth hated him.

She hated his jeans which always hung deliciously low off his hips. She hated his bright, white smile that was filled with thirty two pearly white teeth. She hated his mesmerizing sea green eyes that made her want to grab a bathing suit and jump into them. She hated his tousled black hair that was always sexily messy. She hated the fact that he was a swimmer and a football player, and she hated the fact that because he was running back, he was more popular than any other person at Goode High. She hated his letterman jacket that he wore every Friday with a jersey for game day, and the long line of girls waiting to service his every need.

All in all, she absolutely _loathed_ Percy Jackson.

If loathed somehow doubled meaning as crazy in love with.

Yes, she was _crazy_ in love with Percy Jackson, and they hadn't even had a conversation yet.

She discreetly spied on him as he did handshakes down the hall and high-fived popular kids that Annabeth would be lucky to even share a word with. Thalia, her best friend, was walking down the hall, and Percy acknowledged her with a small hug. Thalia laughed and pushed him off of her. "Find Calypso and do that shit with her! I'm your cousin!" She called out goofily as he rolled his eyes and called out, "She's my ex!" She replied, "Not my problem!" Thalia met up with Annabeth and nonchalantly leaned against the locker with her arms folded against her chest.

Thalia Grace was the epitome of gorgeous.

She had grown out of her punk ways during sophomore year due to continuous arguments with Hera. Her hair was midnight black and reached her elbows, and her electric blue eyes were striking and noticeable. She was taller than average, maybe five foot ten, five foot eleven, and due to her long legs and short torso, she could rock almost any outfit. She had a curvy figure, and was soft. Her hair was board straight and curled at the very ends, and was thick and silky.

"Hey, Annie." Thalia greeted, knowing Annabeth hated the nickname. "Hey, Thals." She was happy to see her nonetheless, even though Thalia did have a habit of teasing her. "Did you hear about that pop quiz we have in Peterson's?" She asked and smoothed out her spaghetti strap white blouse. It flowed out at the hem, and she wore that, an army green jacket, tight, figure hugging light-colored skinny jeans, combats, and an arrangement of assorted gold bracelets. A white headband pushed her raven hair out of her face, and a gold cross hung from her neck and to her abdomen, tying the outfit together.

Annabeth smiled and held up her English book. "Yes, and I studied like hell." Thalia shrugged and ran her fingers through her hair. "Think I'll make an "A" if I wing it?" She offered hopefully, though she knew her chances were slim. "Maybe, if it was someone else. But since all you do in her class is sleep…"

"I don't sleep." She snapped, making Annabeth chuckle. "I just lightly rest my eyes. There's a difference, Annabeth."

Annabeth chuckled while rearranging books in her locker. "Lightly rest your eyes? Who the hell is going to believe that?"

"You never know which teachers you can fool." Annabeth whipped around to see Percy Jackson, in all his sea-green eyed glory, looming over both of them. His arms were crossed, his expression one of amusement, and his eyes boring into hers. "Um...hi?" Those were the brilliant words that fell out of Annabeth's mouth. Chuckling, he stated in a fashionable manner, "_Hey_." Annabeth gulped rather loudly as Percy turned to Thalia and asked, "Can I borrow your English notes? Calypso borrowed them and now she's holding them ransom." He shook his head and laughed. "As if I'm going to get back with her desperate ass over some English notes? Bitch, please." Thalia rolled her eyes before digging through her canvas backpack and pulling out her English notebook. She tore out certain papers, and shuffled them together before handing them to Percy. He smiled, nodded to Annabeth, and walked off._  
><em>

"Your welcome, asshole!" Thalia called out, and Nico and Jason, who had fallen in step with him, laughed before turning around and walking to homeroom.

"Did he ask for your notes?" Piper Mclean, who had almond hair, kaleidoscope eyes, and Native American tinted skin, appeared at Annabeth's locker, typing something on her phone. "Yeah, the audacity of that asshole." Thalia replied as Piper clicked off her phone and slid it in her back pocket. She looked cute and chic in a floral blouse, dark washed skinny jeans, and white converse. As usual, she had gone light on the makeup, and the only decoration on her was her pearl stud earrings. "That asshole happens to be your cousin." She pointed out lightly while readjusting her backpack straps on her shoulder. "Yeah," Thalia agreed. "You guys should pity me."

The warning bell rang, and Annabeth slammed her locker shut before they started walking to homeroom.

Something was in the air, she realized, as they made the short trek to homeroom. Something about this year was going to be different, _very_ different. But as they slipped into homeroom, she convinced herself it was a good change.

The teacher called out attendance, and Luke and Percy were missing. Annabeth turned towards the back of the room, where the popular people usually sat, and quirked an eyebrow to find two seats empty. Thalia and Piper were sitting in the back with Jason and Nico, and they both shrugged at her odd glance before turning back to their boyfriends. Annabeth turned around, perplexed, but let it go when the teacher began to talk about student council.

Little did she know Luke and Percy were in the process of changing her life.

And it all began with a little bet.


	2. Bad vs Good

The Bet

Chapter One: Bad vs. Good

_"We spend our entire lives waiting for someone to lead us into the light, yet we always go after the ones who lead us further into the dark."_

_"My mom always told me that love was weird."_

_Annabeth glanced up at the old, grandfather clock that had just stroked twelve. The loud, bell-like noise erupted from the antique, and it caused Annabeth to flinch and clench her eyes shut. Why did everything here have to be old? If you asked any psychiatrist what their office looked like, they would describe something modern, but comfortable. Something so at ease that the patient would open their lips and speak out all the problems that haunted them._

_Annabeth was doing that and more right now, but the pre-historic room was really making her goosebumps rise._

_The lady sitting in the chair directly placed in front of her cleared her throat, and Annabeth felt like scowling at the auburn-haired woman. Couldn't she at least pretend she cared about Annabeth's problems? Weren't psychiatrists supposed to be somewhat inviting? With her cold, hard eyes, Annabeth could vaguely imagine herself looking in a mirror, for her eyes also reflected the same chill._

_"She said you could break even the strongest of hearts with love. It could destroy them, make them go crazy, or make them fall to their knees in its presence." Annabeth bunched up her skirt and smoothed it out, repetitively, as if it was a game._

_"No offense, Ms. Chase," the lady clicked her pen, causing the ballpoint to come out, "but how does this have to do with why you came to see me today?"_

_Annabeth took a deep breath and said, "I had waited my entire life for love, so the first chance I got it, I took it. I held onto it, even as the thread unraveled, I held on. I kept my faith, hoping it would stay. But nothing lasts forever, even though I hoped my first love would."_

_Annabeth slumped in her chair, looking somewhat resigned. "This story is long, and starts at the beginning of my senior year."_

_The lady settled into her chair, getting comfortable, and picked up her notepad. "Please," She bid, straightening her posture, "tell me what happened."_

_Annabeth sighed. "It was the third week of school, and the two most popular guys in my grade had skipped homeroom for reasons I wouldn't know until a later date..."_

~o0o~

Percy could be referred to with many names.

The second most common, and personally his favorite, was the inescapable_ asshole_. Of course there was also _prick_, _heartbreaker,_ _casanova_, and the most common, but all his fault, the _player_.

People say that you just don't wake up one day and decide to be an asshole to everyone, and that it gradually happens over time. But, contrary to popular belief, that was _exactly_ what happened to Percy Jackson._  
><em>

Freshman year was when his popularity grew to abnormal. Sure, he was popular and well-liked in middle school, but, hey, it was _middle school_. There's only two hundred kids in the grade, and really to be well known you only have to know about half that. Besides, he was friends with all the people older than him, and was already going to eighth grade hangouts as a sixth grader. Freshman year was just when he started taking advantage of that. He was the freshman running back who had been placed on varsity as starting corner back, and after Dakota left, he was placed as starting running back sophomore year.

His year was amazing, and then after Christmas break, he met the most amazing girl, Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She was a freshman who had moved from New York, and she wore paint splattered jeans and baggy t-shirts. He loved how down-to-earth she was, and they had only dated for three days when he asked her to be his girlfriend. She said yes, and they immediately hit it off. Seniors and juniors congratulated him at parties, and since he went to so many, Rachel started to dress up more, and look presentable. Percy never minded her artsy jeans and unfitting t-shirts, and her new tight clothes appealed to him just as much as the others. When he asked her about it, she just said that since she was Percy Jackson's girlfriend, she needed to look beyond presentable for school. Percy didn't like the way she had referred to herself, and immediately corrected her by saying that she wasn't Percy Jackson's girlfriend, she was Rachel Dare, who just so happened to be Percy Jackson's girlfriend.

Eventually, it got worse from there. She started wearing makeup. Percy didn't really care, considering most girls wore makeup, regardless of how pretty they were, and she was only wearing mascara, eye liner, and lip gloss. It wasn't as if she was painting her face, so again, Percy brushed it off. Then, she started wearing a lot, like, _a lot_. Guys were really starting to notice her, and usually Percy wouldn't care, considering his girlfriend was beautiful, and he couldn't blame a guy for noticing that, but what pissed Percy off was when she started flirting back.

It was around late March when he started realizing that she was using him for popularity. However, he had somehow fallen in love with her, and made the dumb decision to try and put up with it. Unfortunately, he caught her cheating with Ethan Nakumara during Spring Break, and he broke it off. It meant nothing to her, but it spoke volumes to Percy. He had locked himself in his room and didn't come out until Thalia, Nico, and Jason came and talked to him. Thalia had thought she was shady from the beginning, but she held off on saying the infamous Thalia _I told you so_. They had been good friends before, having known each other since they were toddlers, but the whole RED thing was monumental. They made the unofficial agreement to never let a partner get between their friendship.

Percy may have had his friends back, and he may have gotten over Rachel, but something changed that year. He had written women off as untrustworthy and unfaithful, so he decided to do the same. He became heartless and wasn't fazed by tears, and by the time senior year rolled around, his popularity had grown even more. He was now the most popular kid in school. Guys wanted to be him, and even though he had broken half of their hearts, girls still loved him.

All in all, that's why he was stupid enough to agree to Luke's bet.

"The nerd, Annabeth Chase?" He asked, making sure he had heard right. He'd never really paid attention to her, considering they were from two opposite ends of the social spectrum. He had only spoken to her once, and that was when he had played a prank on the librarians, and during his escape, he ran into her, causing her books to fall, and he accidentally stepped on her glasses and kept running. "Sorry!" He had yelled behind him, and the last glimpse he had of her was Annabeth frowning and feeling around for her glasses.

"Can you please not refer to her as 'nerd'? She has a name, you know." Luke snapped. His blue eyes flashed dangerously, just like Thalia's did when she was angry.

"Fine, whatever," Percy shrugged it off. "But what's the bet again?"

Luke sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Whoever sleeps with her by the end of Christmas Break wins, and the winner gets whatever he chooses."

Percy grinned, "Whatever he chooses, huh? Okay, fine." He held out his hand, and Luke shook his head in pity as he shook Percy's hand. "Deal, Castellan."

Luke put on his backpack and was about to exit the classroom, but he instead stopped in the doorway and turned around to face Percy. "Look, I know it's not my place..." Pity flashed in his eyes, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "If you can help it, don't fall in love with her."

Percy looked at him like he grew another head. "Fall in love?" He tested the words coming out of his mouth, and immediately decided that that term could possibly never be applied to him. "You wish, Luke. Love is not my thing."

Luke then looked oddly angry, and he then spat words Percy would never forget, "Fine, Jackson. But I want you to know that I don't regret what's going to happen to you. And I hope the fall is long and hard!"

He left after that, and Percy snickered, "Drama queen." He fixed the tongue of his shoes and then swaggered out of the classroom.

The bell for the end of homeroom rung, and students then began to pour into the hallway. Most nodded to Percy, and a select few just flashed him a sly grin. For instance, one of them was Ethan Nakumara, and Rachel was latched onto his side, kissing his neck. Those two had been on and off since freshman year, and Percy's fists clenched, and every vile thought of Rachel entered his mind.

Fall in love with Annabeth? After what happened with Rachel? He wishes.

"Percy!"

Jason called to him, and he turned to see Jason, Thalia, Nico, Piper, and...Annabeth.

"What's up, Grace?"

Percy asked, facing his blonde best friend. As Jason began to complain about a math test he had, Percy snuck a few discreet glances at Annabeth. Unfortunately, she was in a deep conversation with Piper, so he could only see her backside.

"You listening?" Jason asked, and when he followed Percy's line of sight, he chuckled and rested his hand on Percy's shoulder. "That's the first good choice you've had in a while."

Percy looked at him and shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Do I look like the type of guy who dates fucking braces and glasses?"

Jason frowned. "Thalia used to have braces and glasses, Percy. And Piper still has to use reading glasses in class...if anything, I think it makes her look cuter, and more her age. Besides, Annabeth hasn't had to wear any of that since sophomore year."

That ultimately peaked Percy's interest, but the bell rang, and soon they were all dashing off to their classes.

Percy ended up being five minutes late to AP calculus, which he only had because Connor gave him answers on tests and let him copy homework. However, when he walked into class, they were completing worksheets, and Connor was sitting with Lou Ellen, his long time crush. He flashed Percy an apologetic glance, and then went back to pretending he was stuck so Lou Ellen would talk to him. Percy looked around the classroom and realized that there was only one empty spot...and it was next to a hot blonde.

Score!

He plopped his book bag down loudly and sat rather loudly onto his chair. The blonde looked up, and she asked, "Why the hell are you sitting here?"

Percy probably would've countered back something rude...if it weren't for his drooling.

This blonde wasn't just hot, she was _gorgeous_. She had long, blonde curls that tumbled over her shoulders, intense, stormy grey eyes that pierced his in a calculating gaze, high cheekbones, full lips, and the cutest nose. Her skin was tanned, and she had long, toned limbs, as if she played a sport. Yet, she looked oddly familiar...had he seen her before?

"Hello?" She asked again, which pulled him back to reality.

He held out his hand, and flashed a brilliant white smile. "Percy Jackson."

Her grey eyes glazed over his hand, then him. She arched a thin, shaped brow, which caused Percy to notice how thick and full her eyelashes were. "Really? I would've never known." She laid the sarcasm on thick, and if she wasn't so desirable, Percy would've, again, countered back a response. However, he forced the same smile.

When he didn't react, she narrowed her eyes in scrutiny, and asked, "What's it going to cost me?"

"For fuck's sake will you just shake my hand?" He asked, trying his hardest not to sound agitated.

She moistened her lips, cracked a small smile.

Before she could say her name, Percy remembered. It was earlier this morning, before homeroom...she was standing with Thalia at her locker. He had nodded to her, yet she was partially hidden behind her locker. He had noticed how hot she was then, but again, she had looked familiar...

She looked familiar because she was the same girl he had bumped into sophomore year, and the same girl who had to feel around for her glasses.

The realization of her identity made him stumble out of his chair, and he fell onto his butt on the tiled floor.

The class turned to watch him, and some snickered, though they were laughing because it was funny, not to insult him...nobody at Goode High had the audacity to do that.

"Percy, are you okay?" Her brow was crinkled in worry, and he could practically see her heart thump against her chest. When he noticed, her cheeks turned pink as she blushed and looked away.

Oh no, did she like him?

"Mr. Jackson," Ms. Dodds walked towards him. "Is there a reason you're on my floor."

Percy remembered the bet, sophomore year, the locker incident earlier today, and he muttered, "Shit!"

"Mr. Jackson, you will not use that language in my classroom!"

She looked even more worried, and she asked, "Percy, are you okay?"

Percy bit his lip, then pushed out words that would decide his standing in the bet.

"You're Annabeth Chase."

And the look on her face told him he was right.

**CUT!**

**Did y'all like that? It's kind of short, yes, but trust me, this story is going to get so good...just read along.**

**Sorry my update took so long, and this was the only free moment I'm going to have all of Christmas break, so there you go...my rushed masterpiece!**

**Happy holidays!**

**R&R**


	3. Naughty Meets the Epitome of Nice Part 1

**This is going to be a filler chapter, but part 2 will be a long, eventful chapter. It may seem as if I'm rushing things with Annabeth and Percy, because he's going from being this prick to being this nice, considerate guy, but trust me...this chapter is setting up for part 2. Part 2 will also answer any questions about part 1. Since this is a filler, it's going to be really short. See ya at the bottom!**

The Bet

Chapter Two: Naughty Meets the Epitome of Nice Part 1

_"He knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness sake..."_

_"So Mr. Jackson was on the floor because of his...sudden realization of your identity?" _

_Annabeth turned away from the window, where it was pouring rain outside. "I know it sounds...crazy. But he was met with the sudden realization that the..." __Annabeth gulped loudly,not fond of the word that would exit her mouth next. "Sudden realization that the bet would be much harder. I don't know why my looks changed things, then again, I don't know why things were like this in the first place, but my identity startled him, enough to the point that he was absent from school the next day."_

_The middle-aged lady looked up from her paper with a perplexed expression. "What were you thinking when you were sitting at the desk, Annabeth? What was going through your mind?"_

_Annabeth shamefully turned around to look out the window again. "I don't know." she confessed. "I'm not sure. I just remember feeling as if I had done something wrong, and I guess my problem started there."_

_The lady looked thoughtful, and then sighed and clicked her pen. "You can continue."_

_Annabeth nodded. "Yes, thank you. After he was absent, our talking was minimal. We didn't talk again until we were paired together on an English project, and he then began to be abnormally nice to me. He flirted a lot, and I flirted back. He then introduced me to Nico and Jason, and...well, we were finally becoming good friends. It all seemed perfect. And it was, until three weeks later, when Luke cornered me and told me about the bet."_

_The lady looked intrigued. "And what was your reaction?"_

_Annabeth gulped. "I was horrified at first, but..." She looked up, finally meeting the lady's eyes. "You have to understand that the Percy I had grown to know and love was not the one everyone else knew. He was a completely different person around me, so much to the point that a lot of his friends loved having me around because he was nicer and more considerate. So when Luke told me, I panicked and repeated it to Percy, who immediately said it wasn't true, and that he would never do something like that to me."  
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_ The lady considered this. "And how do you feel now? Knowing it was all a lie?"_

_Annabeth glanced out the window again, observing the skies streaked with grey. "I don't know what hurts more. The fact that he lied, or the fact that I believed him."_

~o0o~

"They say there's an art to losing yourself."

Annabeth admitted as the sun began to disappear below the horizon. She turned away from the window and continued, "They say you don't just wake up one day and change. Events, actions, and choices take place, and they scare you into becoming something else. It's an art, I'll admit. A complicated one at that. I suppose there was an art to how I lost myself. Unfortunately, mine isn't as good as the storybooks. It's filled with deceit and lies. I lost myself, and I'll never get it back."

There was some silence, and Annabeth then laughed and glanced at Percy. "Is that good enough for the beginning of the story?"

Percy's jaw scraped against the floor, and he looked dumbfounded. Annabeth felt strange, as if his scrutiny was uncomfortable. "What? What's wrong?"

"What's _wrong_?" He asked, as if the answer were written across her forehead. "I've been failing Honors English for a while now. Like, if I don't get an A on this project, they'll probably put me in regular English. And you just fucking spoke some poetic justice shit after I asked you about the hook to our story. It's fucking infuriating how smart you are."

Annabeth wriggled her toes in his furry carpet. "I'm contemplating whether or not that's a compliment or insult."

Percy chuckled and typed their hook into his laptop.

Annabeth took the time to glance around his room. It was messy, and clothes and CD cases were strewn under his bed. However, he had a glass case on his wall that was filled with all his trophies and medals and player of the week, month, or MVP certificates. Also, everywhere you looked, there was a picture of he, Thalia, Nico, and Jason. There were over a dozen photos, and Piper was in maybe four or five. All of them were different. In some, they were gathered around campfires and were eating s'mores. In others, they were on the beach. In another, they were at the lake.

All in all, it made Annabeth's chest ache to see how close of friends they were. She had never had close friendship, since she was sort of a loner, and an outsider. Thalia and Piper had been her friends since freshman year, but they didn't really become close until they were juniors, and by then, Percy, Nico, and Jason never had time to hang out with her. They were her best friends, but she still felt left out sometimes.

"Done." Percy yawned, and he asked, "Can we get some snacks now? Blue cookies or something?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "C'mon, we've been working for ten minutes."

Percy yawned, "I know right? That's way too long. Let's get food." He hopped up, then held out his hand for her to grab. She chuckled, and without permission, he yanked her up so hard that she stumbled into his chest. Percy laughed and steadied her, and she savored the moment by inhaling his ocean scent. "I didn't know nerds were clumsy."

Annabeth flattened her hands against his wide chest and shoved. She had been working out, and it showed when he stumbled and almost lost his balance. She folded her arms against her chest and said, "I dare you, I double dare you to call me a nerd again and see what happens."

Percy gulped, and he flashed her an apologetic smile and said softly, "Sorry, Anna." A perplexed look crossed her features, and Percy looked somewhat confused. "What?"

"The rumors about you..." Annabeth noted how kind he had been to her. Sure, the whole freaking out about her identity thing was an asshole move, but he had been quick to apologize about it...after his absence. "They're wrong."

Percy's eyes widened, "Seriously? You don't think I'm an asshole?"

Annabeth shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Well, yeah, you're a player and everything, but girls should know what they're getting into when they go out with you or...entertain you. You're brutally honest, and a lot of people don't like that. However, you've been friends with Thalia, Jason, and Nico since infancy, so you're probably a really loyal friend. I heard about Rachel, so that's probably the main reason you don't trust easy, and the reason you only have really close friends and then average friends is because you don't like people getting close to you, since you fear they'll break you. You're a jock so people expect you to be dumb, but really you have dyslexia...I saw you stuttering while reading our story. Teachers think you're a troublemaker, but you honestly are just kind of misunderstood. So no," She breathed after her monologue. "I don't believe the rumors that you're a cold, heartless, jerk. Yeah, you're an asshole, but just a misunderstood one."

His eyes widened, and he said, "I swear I just fell in love. Someone finally gets me!"

Annabeth laughed, "Nice having someone understand you, isn't it?"

But Percy wasn't laughing. He grabbed her wrists and yanked her into his embrace. Like minutes earlier, her head was against his chest. "Percy?" Annabeth asked, though her voice was muffled through his shirt. "Percy, is there something wrong?"

"No..." He muttered as he let go of her. "Does there have to be something wrong for me to hug my friend?"

Annabeth was thoughtful for a moment, then the corner of her lips tugged apart and she reminded him, "Now you said something about blue cookies?" Percy then flashed her all time favorite expression, his lopsided grin, and her heart melted in her chest.

"Come on." He held out his hand with a sincere smile, and Annabeth gratefully took it and followed him down the stairs. In that moment, she realized that even if they had just became friends, and her love was unrequited, she'd follow him anywhere.

~o0o~

_RING RING! RING RING!_

Annabeth Chase's eyes flashed open violently, and she glanced at her vibrating phone, contemplating whether or not she had enough energy to reach over to her nightstand and grab it.

Who the hell would call her at four in the morning anyway?

Groaning with frustration, she grabbed the iPhone 6 and hit answer. "Hello?" she questioned groggily.

"Hey, Annie!" a chirpy voice said excitedly.

Annabeth yawned and said angrily, "Percy, you'll be the death of me...I swear. What could you possibly want at four in the morning."

"Will you get to the point?" Thalia, who was packing up stuff in Nico's jeep, yelled at Percy. "Just ask her whether or not she wants to come?"

"Yeah, so..." Percy said a silent prayer, pleading that she would ultimately say yes. They had gotten pretty close lately, and if she went on this trip and he charmed her, it would get him that much closer to winning the bet...with three months to spare since September just ended. "Would you like to come with me, Thalia, Piper, Jason, and Nico to the mountains? Jason's dad has a cabin out there and we're just gonna hike and fish. You in? If so, we can come get you."

There was a pause. "So you want me to get up at four in the morning, pack for a trip in the cold mountains, make myself look presentable, and go with you on fifteen minute notice?"

Percy ran his fingers through his hair and he sighed, "I know it's crazy but..."

"Of course I'll come!" Annabeth shouted in glee.

Percy felt the gnawing in his chest go away, and without his permission, he let out a relieved sigh. "Thank God, we'll be there in twenty minutes."

Annabeth hung up and flung out of bed. She dashed around her room, throwing stuff in her Nike track backpack (which was pretty big, if she did say so herself), and then grabbed a camping duffle bag she had recently gotten from Cabela's and started packing things like hiking boots and clothing to stay warm. By the time Nico's jeep and Percy's Ford F-150 pulled up, Annabeth had already stuffed a granola bar in her mouth and written a note to her parents and was running out of the house. Apparently, Thalia and Piper were driving Percy's truck, because they wanted girl time, and the boys were stuck in the jeep.

Annabeth threw her stuff in the bed of Percy's truck as Percy hopped out of the jeep. "I know what you're thinking," he warned. "But you are riding with us."

Thalia rolled down her window and countered, "You wish, asshole! Annie's with us!"

Piper leaned in from the passenger seat and added, "Yeah! Get back in the car with your boys!"

Percy rolled his eyes. "C'mon! Annabeth has barely spoken three words to Nico and Jason, but she's already good friends with y'all. I want her to be apart of our group, but that's only going to happen if she gets to meet the guys, and this is a chance for that to happen."

Annabeth's heart thumped against her chest at his words. He wanted her to start hanging out with them. He wanted _Annabeth Chase_ to start hanging out with him, the same girl who he had run into during sophomore year.

Thalia's eyes narrowed, and with a scowl, she spat, "Fine, but when we get there, you guys are on you're own for fishing. We're going to be taking a girls only hike."

Percy nodded happily and grabbed Annabeth's hand, leading her to the jeep.

Percy climbed in the back with Jason, who nodded to him, and Annabeth got up front with Nico. The car lurched forward, ultimately starting their four hour journey.

This was gonna be fun.

**Short, right? Lots of things will happen during this trip, which is why I had to cut it off right there. You might even see a bit of Percabeth ;). I'll update quickly, since I _really_ want you to get to the next chapter. It is by no means a filler and I've intertwined different POV's, Luke's reasoning, and much, much more.**

**R&R**


	4. Naughty Meets the Epitome of Nice Part 2

The Bet

Chapter Three: Naughty Meets the Epitome of Nice Part 2

_"We accept the love we think we deserve."_

"So...Percy, huh? cuando sucedió eso?"

Annabeth looked up at Reyna through her long, thick lashes and blushed red. "I don't know." she admitted giddily as she poured herself some sprite. Percy had kept on her asking to live a little bit and have some alcohol, but she put her foot down and said that there was too much at stake, and she didn't drink.

"You don't know? novia está loca!"

"Stop with the español, Rain. Okay? And I don't know..." Annabeth blushed again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It just...happened, I guess."

"Are you kidding me?" Reyna demanded playfully. "One of my good friends finally starts to go after a guy and now she won't give me the details?"

Thalia and Piper entered the kitchen with empty cups, and Piper spoke up, "Yeah, been there, done that. She's not going to tell you anything." Piper sighed.

Thalia shook her head with a knowing smile as she refilled her cup from the keg. "What I wouldn't do to figure out what happened while we were in the mountains..."

Annabeth stifled a giggle when she remembered their first day there.

_"When are the guys going to be back?"_

_Annabeth questioned with a frown. The girls had gotten back from their hike over an hour ago, but the dudes were still MIA. _

_"God, Annie!" Piper, who was drying dishes from lunch, hit Annabeth with the rag. "Lighten up and give them some space. We've already got the bonfire going, and it's almost dark, anyway. They're probably just goofing off."_

_Thalia entered the kitchen with a smirk on her face. "Or they're dead and we don't know about it."_

_Annabeth's heart squeezed with worry, but then filled with anger when she noticed Thalia was just messing with her. "Stop being a bully!" She snapped and threw one of her chips at her. _

_Thalia narrowly dodged it and held her hands up in surrender. "Fine, be a grudge like that!"_

_Annabeth's scowl tightened. "Will do."_

_"We're back!" Jason shouted as he, Nico, and Percy entered the kitchen. They had a cooler filled with fish and set their poles down on the table. _

_"You're back!" Thalia smiled at Nico,and Piper, who had already jumped into Jason's arms, laughed._

_"Just hug him, Grace."_

_Annabeth, who still sat on the counter, found it immensely awkward and looked down at her feet dangling._

_However, Percy walked up to her, lifted her off the counter, and spun her around._

_"Percy!" she squealed after he set her down. _

_"Did you miss me?" he asked with a toothy grin._

_"No." she replied with a straight face. "Not at all."_

_"Stop lying, Chase!" Thalia chastised. "She's been worried _sick_."_

_"Thalia's such a liar." Annabeth whispered low enough for only him to hear._

_"Well that's a shame," he sighed. "It was nice knowing I could come home to a girl who cared about me."_

_Annabeth could tell from his expression that although he was playful, he was also somewhat serious. Before she could dictate an appropriate response, a grin had already dispersed the seriousness. "I'm messing with you, Anna." _

"Yeah, well, I'm not telling!" Annabeth finally replied and screwed the cap back on the sprite.

Thalia and Piper looked defeated, but Reyna still persisted. "C'mon, Annie! This is _my_ hangout! I'm the host and everything. This was supposed to be a small hangout for the football and cheer squad, yet I let you come because you're my–"

"As if Percy would've shown up without her." Piper interjected with a small smile. "He wouldn't have come if she wasn't here."

"Okay, _fine_. But still, I'm your friend..."

Annabeth sighed. "Guys, the only reason I haven't told you is because I'm not even sure what's going on myself, okay?"

Thalia and Piper begrudgingly nodded, then glanced expectantly at Reyna. She rolled her eyes before relenting, "Fine. But word on the street is that Percy's friends prefer when you're around because he's nicer around you...that true?"

_"What song should we play?"_

_Nico asked as he turned on the Beats pill. Piper shrugged, "I don't know? Lips Movin...I don't know what the name is but it's by Meghan Trainor."_

_"No!" Thalia interjected with a scowl. "All I Want by Kodaline. It's sad but nice."_

_Nico didn't disagree, but he arched his eyebrow at her choice._

_"How about Sleeping With Sirens?" He suggested. "Pierce the Veil? Fall Out Boy? Panic At The Disco?"_

_"No." Jason interrupted steely. "We're gonna play No Type by Rae Sremmurd."_

_"What about you, Perce?" Nico questioned, then glanced around. "Wait, where are Percy and Annabeth?"_

_Everyone's heads snapped to the right when they heard a loud scream. "Percy, stop!" Annabeth was running out of the woods, giggling, with Percy not far behind. He had a raw trout in his hand, and Annabeth was trying to get away. "I'm serious!" she shouted as he chased her around the fire. He caught her when she had jumped over a log, and now both of them were in front of the fire. He held it over her, and Thalia stealthily pulled out her phone and snapped a picture._

_He was so much more carefree when he was around her. "What happened to the other Percy?" Nico whispered to Jason. "The one who was a prick?"_

_"He's gone, bro." Jason replied with a relieved smile. "He's long gone."_

_"_I don't know if it's true or not." Annabeth replied with a shrug. "But I really can't see what the rumors are about...he's so sweet."

Reyna snorted whilst Thalia and Piper stifled laughs. "What's so funny?" Annabeth questioned.

Thalia wiped a tear from her eye. "Annabeth, the rumors _are_ true. Percy's a world class grade A asshole. But for some reason, he's...better around you."

"Maybe he's changing." Annabeth suggested.

Reyna looked thoughtful. "Maybe he is...either way, I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I can handle myself." she replied without hesitation. "Percy won't hurt me." she swore before grabbing her drink and exiting the question.

Reyna's eyes narrowed and she threw her solo cup against the wall. "Her faith in him is infuriating!" she exclaimed.

Thalia took a swig of her drink. "Calm down, Reyna. Maybe Percy is changing. Maybe Annabeth's the one."

"She can't get hurt, Thalia!" Reyna said exasperatedly. "She can't! Not after Malcolm–" Reyna paused and sighed heavily. "She can't, guys. I made him a promise, okay?"

~o0o~

Annabeth wandered around Reyna's house, looking for Percy.

"Eh, Chase!" Annabeth turned around to see the Stoll twins loitering around the living room area. Dakota, Matt, Jake, and Luke were with them, and Annabeth smiled before waving.

"Don't wave, Annie!" they said with goofy smiles. "Just come over already!"

Annabeth convinced herself she could find Percy later and strolled over to where they were sitting. After the trip, Percy had spent the entire week introducing her to his friends, since she officially qualified as one of his good friends. In fact, she had even gone to his football game on Friday, and enjoyed it, too!

"Hey!" Annabeth said brightly to both of them. "Wait, give me a minute to hide my wallet. I heard the Stoll brothers are two pocket-picking bastards."

Everyone laughed, and Travis muttered, "If we got that close to you, it wouldn't be for your wallet."

Luke frowned. "I heard you've been hanging around Jason a lot lately...what for?"

Luke Castellan unnerved her. He was creepy, and his voice always sent shivers down her spine...and not the good ones that Percy caused.

"He's been really nice and stuff. I think we have a shot at being best friends." She chuckled to herself after that. "He always talks about how well I understand him...guess that's all he really needed."

Connor gently grabbed her hand gently and had her sit down on the couch next to him. "There's not much to understand about Jackson." Luke interjected, oddly angry about something.

"Why is that? There's a lot to him." she defended him, not liking for one second that Luke felt as if he could talk about him like that.

Everyone else sitting around them sipped their drinks quietly; no one made fun of Percy Jackson, not even someone close in popularity like Luke Castellan.

"You mean more than sleeping around and being a prick?" he guffawed.

"Shut up, Castellan." Annabeth snapped, surprising everyone around her. She wasn't mean if she didn't need to be, but when it was needed, she could be scary as hell. "You don't know shit about Percy, and you're probably just jealous. So just shut the hell up and focus on your own life."

Luke, however, was not fazed. He calmly sipped from his beer and sighed, "You don't know. That's the only reason you're backing up for him is because you don't know."

"Don't know what?" Annabeth asked breathlessly. All the questions that had plagued her for some time now began to surface with a vengeance. Why was Percy being so nice, open, and flirty all of the sudden? Why would he choose her; a nerd he used to make fun of? Why was he doing any of this?

Luke chuckled and set his beer down on the coffee table before grabbing his leather jacket and shrugging it on. "It would ruin the fun if I told you, Chase. And things are finally getting entertaining."

He began to pace towards the door, and Annabeth hopped up and tugged on his sleeve. "Luke, tell me, please. I need to know what's going on."

Without swinging around, he replied, "Good things come to those who–"

"Hustle for what they want." Annabeth interrupted. "Nobody ever got anywhere waiting for shit. So just tell me!"

Luke swung around with fiery passion in his blue irises. "Don't you get it, Annabeth? I can't tell you! And I've done too much, gone too far to ruin it now."

His words made Annabeth even more confused, and all of a sudden, the passion in his eyes was whisked away, and he looked sad...really sad.

"I'm sorry it has to be you." he told her sincerely. "But there was no one else who could get to him like you. You may think your love is unrequited, but he loves you too...he's just trying to deny it."

Luke gently grabbed her chin and tilted her face up to his. "God, you're beautiful." he whispered. He planted a kiss on the corner of her mouth, then abruptly let go of her. "You're such a good person, but you must realize that this _has_ to happen. There's no other way!"

He sped out the door after that, and Annabeth shouted, "What has to happen? What are you talking about?"

"Annabeth?"

She swung around to see Percy looking at her with a smile. "Yeah?"

"Do you trust me?" he asked. His voice was laced with sincerity, and her heart melted.

_"I know about Malcolm."_

_Annabeth had just finished brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed, and she swiveled around to see Percy leaning against the doorway. "I know that he got cancer, and I know that he died."_

_Annabeth ignored him and rinsed her mouth. "So?" she questioned, trying to sound like she didn't care. "Does it matter?"_

_"Yeah, it does. I want us to be completely honest with each other if we really want to be good friends."_

_Annabeth dried her mouth with a towel and turned back around to face him. She hopped up onto the sink and folded her arms against her chest. "Why are we becoming good friends, anyway? I mean three weeks ago you were referring to me as "that fucking nerd"."_

_Percy's expression grew hard. "Things have changed since then, okay?"_

_"Two weeks, Percy." Annabeth told him. "It's been two weeks since we've been become friends. What gives you the right to get mad at me about not telling you one of my darkest secrets, when we've only been friends for two weeks?"_

_"Because of that day we were working on our English project. You figured me out...you understand me. I'm just trying to do the same for you."_

_"This is so goddamn confusing though! I mean one week you hate me and the next you're trying to figure out my secrets. Why, Percy? Why?"_

_"Because I can't stop thinking about you, okay?!" He exclaimed. "For years everyone has thought of me the same way, yet you see the good in me. You understand that I'm misunderstood. You don't call me a prick, a jerk, a Casanova. You just see _me_."_

_Annabeth quieted down after that. "You can't stop thinking about me?" _

_Percy sighed and admitted quietly, "No." Upon seeing her shocked expression, he walked up to her and intertwined his hands with hers. "Look, I don't know what I want you in my life as. I don't know if it's a best friend, a girlfriend, or...I don't know. I do know that I need you around, because Annabeth, you're the only constant I have in my life, and I can't let that go."_

_Annabeth embraced him in a hug. "I get it, Percy. But I'm not ready to talk about Malcolm...I just__–"_

_"It's fine." he said softly. "But can you promise that one day you'll be ready to tell me? One day you'll trust me one hundred percent?"_

_She nodded, because she was scared to admit to him that she already did._

"Yes." she replied without hesitation.

He then held out his hand, and she grabbed it as he led her upstairs into one of the rooms.

He flipped on the light switch, and strode over to the balcony doors and opening them. He didn't look back at her as he inhaled the fresh air and leaned against the railing.

As for Annabeth, she didn't want to know how he knew his way around Reyna's house, so she instead followed him, like usual, out onto the balcony.

The wind wrestled with his raven locks, and Annabeth felt chilly since she was only wearing a white spaghetti strapped blouse, light washed jeans, and white converse high-tops. In fact, it was so cold that Annabeth rubbed her arms to conserve body heat, and her teeth began to lightly chatter. Percy arched a brow at the weird noise, then noticed her attire. "What am I going to do with you?" he whispered.

_You're going to kiss me, idiot._

Instead of obeying her unspoken command, he shrugged off his jacket, which would probably reach her knees, and wrapped it around her.

There was more silence after that, and finally, he spoke up. "Do you know about my parents, bright eyes?"

"Bright eyes?" Annabeth questioned, completely disregarding his question.

"Yes. It's my new nickname for you, deal with it. But do you know about parents?"

"No." she whispered after a minute. "I don't know much about you."

"Touche." Percy agreed. "Well, my mom got pregnant with me when she was nineteen, and with this guy named Poseidon. He was a successful businessman who owned this company that deals with shipping and manufacturing over water. He's a billionaire from what she's told me, and they had this whirlwind romance and she got pregnant with me. He was around when I was younger, but one day, my mom said he just left, saying he had a company to run and couldn't be tied down with a family. After him, she married this guy named Gabe,and he was, er, really abusive and stuff." While he talked, he continuously rubbed patterns on her hand. "She divorced him when I was thirteen, and then married this guy named Paul. He's an English professor at this fancy university, and he treats my mom really well. But...for the longest time, I didn't like him because I thought my dad was going to come back...and he never did."

Annabeth didn't say sorry, because she knew he didn't want that, but instead sympathized by resting her head on his shoulder.

"There was this girl named Rachel that I met freshman year. She was so artsy and laidback. She always wore baggy t-shirts and jeans with paint splattered on them. Her parents were really rich, and she tried to rebel against them. She was so sweet and down to earth. I fell in love with her. Even when she started to change, and dress up and wear makeup and flirt with other guys, I still loved her. But I caught her cheating during spring break with Ethan Nakumara, and..."

"Percy," Annabeth muttered breathlessly, trying to assure him that he didn't have to continue.

His eyes suddenly filled with rage, and he was pushing himself away from the railing and pacing in the bedroom. Annabeth closed the balcony doors and took a seat on the bed.

"She cheated!" He yelled, his eyes filled with rage. Annabeth was almost frightened by how angry he looked. His anger wasn't directed at her, thank God, but it was still scary to observe. "I was sweet to her, bought her gifts, and took her on dates. I introduced her to my friends and parents. She cheated on me, Annabeth! And I _loved_ her!"

"She didn't deserve your affection, Percy." Annabeth tried to console him. "She didn't deserve _you_. The way you are now...she made you like that because you've given her too much power over your life. You're letting her dictate the way you act and how you treat other girls. The reason you hated her so much in the beginning is because it's easy to despise what you can't have. And not to quote a book character or anything, but it's very easy to hate someone you once loved. It just shows that the two emotions have a fine line between one another."

"So why did I do it?" Percy asked softly as he sat down on the bed next to her. "Why didn't I let her go? Why did I let her treat me like that?"

Annabeth bit her lip and looked down at her converses. "We accept the love we think we deserve."

Several minutes of silence followed after that before Percy spoke again. "Everybody I love in my life eventually leaves. Nico, Jason, Piper, and Thalia? They don't see me the way they once did. They think of me the way everybody else does. I have my mom but...she's always writing her book, or spending time with her new husband. People in my life always come and go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Annabeth told him firmly, and she grasped his shoulders and shook them for extra convincing.

"Don't you get it, Annabeth?" Percy sounded tired. He sounded defeated, and it scared the hell out of her. "I'm alone. Utterly, and without a shadow of doubt, alone."

"What more do I have to do, Percy? You have me! You can trust me! I'm tired of people telling me that you'll hurt me, that you're not worth it, and that I should be careful! And you know what? That may be true! You might hurt me, but I'm willing to risk it! I get you, Percy! I understand everything. And no matter what people do, and no matter what they say, I'm still here! So what does that mean–"

Percy interrupted her with a searing kiss. He had cupped both hands around her cheeks and pulled her forward. Annabeth normally didn't like being cut off, but this had to be the best "shut up" she had ever experienced.

It's weird how you fantasize about something for years, and when it happens, it's everything you've ever dreamed of and more. He was the first to pull away and rested his forehead against her's. "You're here to stay?" he questioned as he grabbed her by her hips and set her on his lap.

"Try to get me to leave." she whispered before kissing him again.

"Percy come on we're about to–" Annabeth whipped around to see Thalia frozen in the doorway.

After a few moments of silence, Thalia exclaimed, "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!"

Piper was right behind her and said, "No, I distinctly remember telling _you–"_

_"_Will you guys leave us alone?" Percy asked.

Thalia and Piper shot Annabeth winks before saying, "Of course."

They shut the door, and Annabeth immediately turned around to face her...what was he now?

"Thalia and Piper know."

"I'm aware."

"They're going to tell Nico and Jason."

"Probably."

"The whole school's going to find out."

"Most likely."

"I just made out with the Goode High's star running back at a hangout for only football players and cheerleaders."

"Yes, you did."

"People aren't going to like this."

"That's true."

"You're friends are going to make fun of you."

"No...I don't think anyone has the audacity to make fun of yours truly."

"I just made out with the most popular guy in school."

Percy chuckled, "Not just that." He then kissed her on the forehead. "You're his girlfriend, too."

~o0o~

"So...you got the girl, huh?"

Luke greeted him as Percy ducked into the empty classroom. Percy scowled as he set his backpack down on an empty desk. "Hardly. She's just a conquest, Luke. An obstacle that keeps me from getting my prize of choice."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "So you don't care about her?"

Percy ignored his question. "Why am I here?"

"Because I'm curious." Luke said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, you could have easily charmed her at a party and slept with her. Why go through a relationship?"

"Because I like challenges." Percy countered back. "I like having to fight for a win. Besides, I haven't seen you making any advances on her."

Luke didn't tell Percy that he wasn't even going to try. He was trying lose the bet, because although Percy would get his prize of choice, it wouldn't matter. Percy would have lost what was most important to him anyway. "I'm laidback." Luke lied easily.

"Fine," Percy spat. "Let me win. The sooner this bet ends, the sooner I can break up with her."

Percy wondered why he was trying so hard to get Luke to believe his relationship with her is fake. _Because if he found out it was real, there's no telling what he would do._

"So Annabeth means nothing to you?" Luke inquired.

Percy swallowed his guilt and spat, "No. Not even a little bit."

"Good." Luke said easily as he picked up his backpack and opened the door. He turned around to Percy and said, "So you won't mind me telling her, huh?"

Percy's eyes widened as Luke sped from the classroom. "LUKE!" He shouted as the said man ducked into the crowd of the halls. "Luke don't do it!"

~o0o~

"_Annabeth_."

The said girl turned around to see Luke Castellan, AKA the boy who owed her answers, panting in front of her locker. "What?" she replied with annoyance. "Is there something else you would like to tell me about my boyfriend?"

Luke straightened his posture and said confidently, "Percy's in a bet with me."

Annabeth's heart slammed against her chest. "What did you just say?" She gave Luke her undivided attention.

"We made a bet on the first day of school during homeroom that who could ever sleep with you by Christmas Break wins and–"

"Don't listen to him!" Percy arrived next to Luke, panting as well. "Don't you dare believe a word he says."

Annabeth wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Of course I don't believe him. I trust you, Percy."

Luke stood alone, dumbfounded. She trusted him that much? Even though the clues all pointed to what he said?

Percy kissed the top of Annabeth's head before shooting Luke a murderous glance. "_Go_." He snapped hastily.

Luke left quickly after that, and Percy continued to stroke Annabeth's back as her grip grew tighter. "I trust you." she murmured again; more assurance for herself than for him.

~o0o~

_The lady considered this. "And how do you feel now? Knowing it was all a lie?"_

_Annabeth glanced out the window again, observing the skies streaked with grey. "I don't know what hurts more. The fact that he lied, or the fact that I believed him."_

-Naughty Meets the Epitome of Nice Part 1

**cuando sucedió eso: When did that happen**

**novia está loca: girlfriend you are crazy**

**How was that? I want y'all to to realize the game plan here, okay? The reason I rushed their relationship is because although they're going to be together (without any "bet" problems) for at least the next ten or fifteen chapters, I'm also going to spend a huge chunk of this story for the aftermath. Like always,**

**R&R**


	5. Percy Jackson's Girlfriend

**I'm gonna start doing playlists, so...**

**_All I Want - Kodaline _**

**_Stay With Me - Sam Smith_**

**_All of Me - John Legend_**

The Bet

Chapter Four: Percy Jackson's Girlfriend

_"I lay in tears in bed all night, without you by my side."_

_"So you and Percy were dating...what was that like?"_

_"Perfect." Annabeth answered;nothing but honesty etched onto her face. "I mean, we had our ups and downs like most couples, but I had wanted to be in a relationship with him for years. To me it was a dream come true. Dr..." Annabeth cringed when she realized that after all the talking she had done, she still didn't know the psychiatrist's name. _

_"Call me Abby." she smiled sincerely. "And if I may ask, why did you disregard Luke so easily?"_

_Annabeth rubbed her knees. "Because...well, when it happened, I convinced myself it was because Percy had never given me a reason to not trust him. I mean, try and see this from my perspective. As unbelievable as our relationship was, I still trusted Percy. I had faith in him. And like I said before, Percy was different around me. So the Percy I knew wasn't capable of something that despicable. He was _my_ Percy, and I just wish I had realized sooner that the Percy I knew wasn't the one everyone else did. That the Percy I knew didn't exist. He was something I wanted him to be, but he was never real. I had thought Percy was showing me the true him. But in reality everyone else knew the real Percy...the one I knew was fake."_

_Abby chewed on the cap of her pen and asked, "So now how do you feel? Knowing Luke was right? How do you explain now why you disregarded him so quickly?"_

_Annabeth moistened her lips. "Because, I didn't disregard him because I trusted Percy. I disregarded him because a part of me knew he was telling the truth."_

_"So what happened after that?" Abby inquired, looking down at her notepad._

_"I was starting to look into the clues Luke had laid out for me. However, a lot of things started to take place, so I couldn't focus all my attention on that. Percy and I had much bigger problems to deal with it, and there was no room in my schedule to be suspicious of him."_

~o0o~

They won.

It took Annabeth a minute to register her shock and repeat to herself what had happened.

_Holy shit! Goode High just beat Half Blood High! The only team that beat them three years in a row!_

"Holy shit!" Annabeth screamed in Thalia's ear, causing Thalia to chuckle. The student section was going crazy. "Fuck yeah!" All of them screamed, regardless of the parents there. They all ran to the fence, screaming and hugging one another. "We did it!" Leo shouted as he twirled Annabeth around. "We fucking did it!" In fact, it was so crazy that everyone stormed the field, totally disregarding the police officers.

Annabeth sifted through the crowd, trying to find Percy. "Annabeth!"

Before she could turn around, she was being lifted off the ground and twirled around. "WE WON!"

Percy set her down on the ground and kissed her long and hard. His arms wrapped around her waist, and after he pulled away, he kept his arms around her. "I've got to go to the locker room to change." He muttered after kissing her neck.

"I know." she answered breathlessly. Then, a knowing smile slipped on her face as she added, "I'll be waiting, trust me."

His thumbs brushed over her cheekbones and he asked, "Can we please go to Leo's party after this? I know we planned on chilling at my house and having a movie marathon but that was because I didn't expect us to win."

"Percy," She grabbed his face with her hands and brought it down to hers. After a long, searing kiss, she let go of him, and the goofiest grin was plastered on his face. "You just beat our rivals...we can do anything you want tonight."

Percy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and whispered, "Anything?"

Annabeth's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed. She smacked him on the chest and pointed towards the field house, which held the a locker room for the football players. "Field house. Now. Wash those dirty thoughts out of your mind."

Percy rolled his eyes and playfully relented, "Fine, bright eyes."

He left after that, and Annabeth walked off the field and leaned on the fence.

He showed up soon enough, now wearing his Goode High sweatshirt, his football pants, slides with elites, and an athletic backpack on his shoulders. He carried his pads in one hand and shot her a smile. He slid off his backpack and handed it to her. Already knowing where this was going, Annabeth put it on and jumped on Percy's back. He adjusted her so she'd be more comfortable, and then made the short trek to his truck.

"You know, we're gonna have to stop by my house, too." Annabeth told him as they walked to his car. Or, rather, he walked to the car.

"Why?" Percy asked, sounding confused.

Annabeth glanced down at her grey track sweatshirt, leggings, and boots. "Um, because I'm not going to a party looking like this."

Percy sighed and rolled his eyes. "You're beautiful, Annabeth. To the point that sometimes it knocks my breath away. So, no, you look fine."

Annabeth sighed as she hopped off his back and took his pads from him and put them in the bed of his truck. "But I'm your girlfriend now."

Percy froze, as if the words struck a chord in him. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he hissed quietly.

"It means I should at least care the slightest bit about my appearance. I should probably start wearing some makeup too, not a lot or anything, but this whole natural look can use some enhancing. I mean, Piper and Thalia wear it, so it's okay for me too..."

Next thing she knew, her back was against the door and Percy's hands were on either side of her, caging her in.

"Please," he pleaded softly and pressed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Please don't change for me. Don't become like Rachel."

"I'm not going to, Percy. I just want to see what I'd look like." She looked down at her shoes and confessed one of her fears. "The girls that chase after you wear makeup and wear exposing clothes, so maybe if I wear it too and clean up my look I'll be more...desirable to you."

Percy closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. "Annabeth..." he whispered quietly. "I like you the way you are. How could I notice other girls when I have someone as amazing as you?"

"I'm just scared of losing you." she admitted. "You could move on so easily..."

"No I couldn't." he scoffed. "You're a prominent part of my life now, bright eyes."

"But I can see the looks people give us. The nerd usually doesn't score the most popular boy in school. They look at me like I'm not worthy of you, Percy. And sometimes it scares me, because I feel like I'm not."

Percy chuckled as he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You? Not being worthy of me? Annabeth, have you even heard of half my past?"

"What do you mean?"

"Annabeth...it's like Beauty and the Beast. I'm a bad boy, the type guy you don't want to meet your parents. And then there's you; the pure angel. You make the best grades and are going somewhere in life. Yet you chose me. Sometimes I wonder why you waste your time on me. I mean, sometimes I doubt us. You should be dating someone smart and in your league but...you understand me. You get who I am, and I'm too selfish to let that go. And you don't have to change, because the same you I was falling for yesterday is the same you I'm falling for today, and the same you I'll be falling for tomorrow."

Annabeth glanced up at him in awe before grabbing his hand and resting it on her heart. "You're going to steal this." she stated.

"No," he contradicted her. "But if you give it to me, there's no way in hell I'm giving it back."

He then pressed his lips against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his torso, trying to pull him closer.

"Eh, lovebirds!"

Percy pulled away and muttered, "I'm going to kill him."

Annabeth chuckled, and without turning away from Percy, she yelled, "What do you want, Leo?"

"I just wanted to ask Percy if I could ask out Calypso!"

Annabeth looked expectantly at Percy, and he yelled, "I don't care!"

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure, considering she was your ex."

"Leo, if I forbid people from dating my exes, then half the population of Goode High's girls would be unavailable."

Annabeth tensed when he said that, and he noticed her tension and pressed a loving kiss on her forehead. "Sorry, bright eyes. I can't change the past, but I can guarantee that you're in my future."

Annabeth smirked. "Want some wine with that cheese, Romeo?"

Percy ignored her and looked back at Leo. "Can you leave us alone now?"

Leo feigned mock hurt.

"Fine! I don't need you two anyway!"

Percy turned back to Annabeth and gave her a quick kiss. "He's not that good of a safety anyway."

"I heard that!"

"Good!"

Annabeth chuckled and pressed her lips against his once more. He fully obliged, and she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to slip in. His hands ran up and down her sides, and she wound her fingers into his hair.

"That's right, Jackson! Get it, boy!"

They pulled away, and turned around to see Piper, Jason, Thalia, Beckendorf, Silena, Travis, Katie, Connor, Lou Ellen, Frank, Hazel, Reyna, Jake, and Dakota laughing and cheering them on.

"I'm gonna kill the next person who interrupts us." Percy whispered.

"An audience isn't gonna stop me from making out with you." she whispered back.

Percy let out a loud exhale before saying, "Gods, I'm falling for you."

Annabeth smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ditto."

His phone buzzed, and his brow crinkled on confusion. "Its's Nico." Percy explained to her. "He wasn't at the game, so coach was pissed."

Percy read the message, and his eyes widened. He dropped his phone and staggered back away from Annabeth. "Percy!" she shouted. His eyes rimmed red and his breathing grew labored.

"Jason!" Annabeth shouted, and he and the others hurried over quickly. Percy slid down the car door and he buried his head in his hands. "Percy?" Annabeth grew more worried by the second. "Percy what's going on?"

"C'mon dude." Jason tried to open him up. "Tell us what's going on."

"Percy, look at me." Annabeth commanded. She grabbed his face and tilted it up towards hers. "What's going on?"

Without hesitating, Percy stared straight in front of him and stated bluntly,

"Nico's mom died."

**This probably has to be the fluffiest chapter I've ever written in any of my stories, and what about Nico's mom?**

**R&R**


	6. Breaking A Broken Mirror

_**Count On Me - Bruno Mars**_

_**Apologize - OneRepublic**_

_**Take Me To Church - Hozier**_

The Bet

Chapter Five: Breaking A Broken Mirror

_"The worst events happen to those most undeserving of them."_

Annabeth was utterly speechless.

She had her ear buds plugged in, since conversation with Percy would've been painstakingly fruitless, and she decided to enjoy the short ride to Nico's house. Trees and buildings with Christmas lights (not for the holiday, but just to add for decoration) passed by the passenger window in a blur, and although Annabeth would've normally admired the beauty of a landscape so simple yet beautiful, she didn't think she had anything in her heart that could even aspire to joy.

Nico's mom was _dead_.

Gone, ripped away from his life. Annabeth remembered when her brother died, and for months she waited for him to come home after practice, sweaty and a hot mess, and give her a bear hug, ultimately spreading his nasty scent onto her. "Stop!" she would screech happily. "Stop playing around and take your shower so we can eat dinner!"

"Mom," he would look teasingly at Athena, who was always sitting on a stool in front of the counter, sipping white wine. "Isn't our dear Annabeth..." he would then glance back at her, smirk broadly, and say, "_Trippin?_"

"Mom," she would complain. "He can't make fun of me...it's not fair! I demand a change in siblings!"

He would then lovingly tap the tip of her nose and whisper, "You and me both, kid."

Thinking about Malcolm made her heart squeeze, as if someone's hand was internally grasping it as tight as they could. He'd been gone for three years now, but it still hurt to think about him.

_Nico, _she reminded herself. _You need to focus on Nico._

She glanced at her boyfriend with heavy eyes, but he was staring straight ahead, his face a void of unexpressed emotion. He was expressionless, and it scared her. False hope lingered within her veins, whispering to her that soon enough he would be sporting a lopsided grin, or an appeasing smirk that made her go weak to her knees. But reality told her otherwise; sweet Percy was gone, and the one that was just a teenager whose dad left him was showing. He was so vulnerable right now, but he was trying his damn hardest to not make it noticeable.

_Too late, Percy. I see it, I see you._

"Percy..." she muttered breathlessly and rested her hand on his thigh after turning off her music.

Without missing a beat, he picked it up and placed back on her own thigh. "I don't want to be touched right now."

"Why?" she questioned in a low voice; afraid if she talked any louder it would ignite his temper.

"Because it feels good." he confessed without looking her way. "And I don't want to feel good."

"But I'm here." she reminded him. "I'm here and I'm here to stay. If you need a shoulder to cry on-"

"Goddamn it, Annabeth!" Percy looked towards her with irises filled with Greek fire, and it made her flinch. "Don't you get it? This is reality for Gods sake! Nico's mom is dead, and no matter how many times I cry on your shoulder, it's not bringing her back!"

Annabeth remained calm as she inquired, "What does that have to do with me reassuring you that I'm here?"

"Because you don't get it." he said exasperatedly. "You're this perfect girl with straight A's and a loving family. You've never experienced real pain, Annabeth. You've never had someone closest to you die-"

He froze, and Annabeth felt a few tears escape from her eyes as she turned away and looked out the window again. He sighed and said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I know."

"No, really," He grabbed her hand and placed it on his thigh. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, just...focus on helping Nico right now, okay? We can talk about this later."

"But I don't want you to be angry with me. I...I need you right now, okay? So can we pretend like I never said that?"

Annabeth glanced at him and noticed his sincerity. "Okay."

They arrived at the Di`Angelo house, which could be considered an estate. It had a large, neatly trimmed yard with a cobblestone circle driveway. A fountain was in the middle, and the house itself was wide, white-brick, and seemed to be three stories, if you didn't include the attic. There were lots of windows, and on the top floor, in the center, there was a balcony. Percy pulled up to the front porch and turned off the car. He looked at her and smiled, "Nico's dad, Hades, works with mine, so they're loaded."

Annabeth's brow crinkled. "But you said that you hadn't heard of or seen your father since he left when you were younger."

The small smile that had managed to perch itself on Percy's face instantly dissipated.

"You lied?" she whispered.

"No," he immediately replied. "No, I haven't seen or spoken to him since then, but that wasn't from lack of effort on his part. He constantly tries to contact me but I don't want to respond. I didn't think it made much of difference."

"It makes a world of difference-" she stopped, and then sighed before unbuckling her seat belt.

"Are you mad?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes," she answered honestly. "But we have bigger things to worry about."

Percy got out the car, walked in front of the truck, then opened her door, too. She grabbed his hand, and intertwined their fingers just as Jason, Piper, and Thalia pulled up. Thalia opened the door, hopped out, and made a beeline for Annabeth. She instantly hugged her and asked, "What am I going to do?"

"Just be there." she advised. "Just let him know that you're there."

"And how's that supposed to help?" Thalia asked when she pulled away.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. Percy came up from behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist as she said, "Thalia...being there for someone they need you is all relationships are about."

Thalia closed her eyes and let one tear escape before opening them again and walking towards the door. Percy pulled a Goode High Demigods lanyard out of his sweatshirt pocket and settled on one of three keys before sticking it in the front door lock and easily turning it.

The door opened, and Thalia was the first to head in, with Piper, Jason, and Percy on her tail.

Everyone rushed upstairs, while Annabeth was left at the front door, taking in how beautiful Nico's house was.

It was painstakingly clear that Annabeth was the only one who had not been there before. The floor was marble, and a large, winding staircase sat in the dead center of the room. Behind it was a a set of three small stairs, and a wide, open family room, alerting Annabeth that the top floor was technically only a half floor. A catwalk behind that led to what she assumed was the kitchen, and the dining room and living room were on opposite sides of where she was standing. There weren't doors leading to the rooms, but more so a wide, open hole that allowed you through.

Annabeth fully walked in and shut the door behind her. She was so entranced by the Greek and Roman art, vintage and real most likely, hanging from the walls.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

A tall, slender girl with obsidian hair and dark eyes was leaning against the wall. A suitcase lay near her feet, and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked bluntly, then cursed herself for being rude.

"I'm Bianca Di`Angelo, Nico's sister."

Annabeth arched an eyebrow. "I've never heard of Nico having a sister."

Bianca chuckled darkly, as if it really wasn't humorous, and explained, "When Nico was born, I was already six years old...meaning I was much older. I hated our father so much, and at that time, our mother was in a mental hospital because Hades said she tried to kill herself."

"Did she?" Annabeth gasped.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Hades faked it because he had a lot of business going on and she was in the way. And a divorce would ruin his rep. She left when I was in sophomore in high school, and wouldn't come back until Nico was a freshman. We both hated Hades for what he did, so I worked hard those last three years of high school. So much to the point that I got all my credits by the first semester of senior year and was able to go to college by the time second semester rolled around. I didn't write, call, or keep any contact with my father...and Nico. I practically disappeared, and Nico hadn't ever forgiven me until mom came back. However, he still doesn't like me, and chooses not to even acknowledge I'm his sister."

Annabeth swallowed thickly, "Oh...I...that must be terrible."

She waved her hand. "Stop lying, you think I'm a bitch for what I did."

Annabeth's jaw tightened as she felt the need to defend Nico. "Rightfully so."

Bianca arched an eyebrow at that, but Percy was already running down the stairs and speed walking to where she stood. "There you are." He kissed her quickly on the lips and intertwined their hands before glancing to the right to see Bianca. A scowl clouded his face, and he spat, "Bianca."

She flashed a snark smile like usual and spat back, "Perseus."

She picked up her suitcase and strutted off to the family room as Percy turned back to her and confessed, "I don't like her...at all."

Annabeth got up on her tippy toes and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "I don't know..." she shrugged before setting her heels back down on the ground. "She might just be misunderstood like someone else we know."

Percy rolled his eyes before expression hardened. "What's wrong?" she questioned.

"The reason I'm down here. Nico said he wants to talk to you...alone."

~o0o~

Annabeth glanced towards Nico, who sat Indian style on the floor. There was silence between them, and the eerie tension made Annabeth want to explode.

"You know," Nico finally spoke, a ghost of a smile on his face. "There was this time in freshman year when Percy and Rachel came over to my house for a science project. Of course, since this is Percy we're talking about, we didn't actually do the project. He practically just talked to Rachel the entire time as I brainstormed ideas. He looked at her the same way he looks at you, only with you it's magnified by like nine hundred percent."

Annabeth's heart fluttered at his words. So he did care about her more than he did Rachel.

"The only difference is that you look at him that way back. It's reciprocated." Nico glanced at her with a small smile. "But please, he's had a hard life, so try not to screw up...though if someone screwed up, it would probably be him."

She smiled at his protectiveness of Percy and whispered, "Trust me, I've waited for this too long to screw it all up with one mistake."

"What am I going to do?" Nico asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know." she replied, her head hung low.

"But Thalia told me about Malcolm." Annabeth tensed. "How did you get through it? How do you ever forget?"

"You don't forget, Nico." Annabeth glanced at him with sadness. "You don't ever forget what happened. You just move on, and you push past it. It's senior year, and you'll be leaving for college soon. And you have us, Nico. Thalia, Piper, Jason, Percy, and me...you have all of us."

There was more silence.

"Annabeth?"

"Hmm?"

"Why Percy?" She froze, and whipped her head to see Nico looking straight forward.

"What do you mean?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Why Percy? I mean, you could've gotten through this last year of high school, gone to an Ivy League, settled down, and had a family. You won't even remember high school and you would have a good life. Yet you went after him; you went after the broken boy. Yet, as selfish as it sounds, I also have to thank you, because you brought the old Percy back, and I've missed him."

Annabeth didn't know how to respond, so instead she shifted her position. "The way he looks at you, Annabeth...it's baffling. You're everything to him, you know that?"

She chuckled, "C'mon, Nico, we've only been dating for two weeks."

"So? That doesn't change the way he cares about you." After a bit of silence, he whispered, "Please don't hurt my friend."

"I don't intend to."

After more silence, Annabeth rubbed her hands together. "Aren't we supposed to be talking about you?"

Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess."

"Why did you call me up here? Why not Jason or Percy?"

Nico was silent for a moment before replying, "Because you know what it's like to have someone that meant everything to you to be ripped from your life. You understand the feeling. Besides, from what Percy's told me, you're a good person to talk to."

"He talks about me?"

"All the time." Nico rolled his eyes. "It gets annoying, actually. Like, Annabeth's hair is really pretty isn't it? Or, did you guys notice how good of a personality she has? Seriously, I've never seen him so obsessed with a person before."

There was more silence, but this time, it was comfortable, and Annabeth managed a smile before reminding him, "You know you have Thalia, right?"

Nico's small smile dissipated after that, and he said flatly, "Yeah, I know."

"Wait a minute," Annabeth shifted her position so she was facing him. "Why do you say it like that?"

Nico bit his lip before hopping up to his feet and then collapsing into his desk chair. "Annabeth, you need to understand something about me...I don't like needing people."

"Really?" she muttered in a sarcastic tone.

Nico's eyes narrowed and he said flatly, "Funny."

Annabeth playfully rolled her eyes before urging, "Just continue."

"I needed my mom, of course, but I loved her so much that I was okay with it. I need Thalia as well, as much as I don't like to show it, I do. And now, with my mom gone, I need her even more."

Annabeth's eyes widened as she stood up and folded her arms over her chest. "So tell her that!"

"Why?"

"Because she's worried sick about you!" Annabeth exclaimed exasperatedly. "All she wants is to be there for you."

Nico sighed. "So what's our plan?"

Annabeth chuckled, "You mean _your_ plan, right? It's your life, Nico. The best thing I can suggest is that if you need Thalia, have her. Your mom is gone-" Nico flinched at her words "and there's nothing you can do except make your peace with it and move on."

Nico stood up and asked, "Are you gonna be there to help?"

Annabeth wrapped her arms around Nico and pulled him into a hug.

"Annabeth?" he asked once she pulled away.

"Hmm?"

"Why aren't you crying? I mean, everyone else was."

Annabeth shrugged before looking down at her feet. "Crying tends not to solve my problems. C'mon, let's get the others."

Nico nodded, "They're in the family room."

They walked out of his room and made their way towards the staircase as Annabeth told him, "I met Bianca."

Nico snorted and said, "Yeah, I figured she'd have the audacity to show up. She's well, a..."

"World class grade "A" bitch?"

They were both silent for a moment, and then after several seconds, they glanced at one another and broke out into laughs.

They reached the bottom of the staircase as Nico said in between laughs, "You stole the words right out of my mouth."

They laughed again as they entered the family room and everyone seemed confused to see them both laughing.

"What's funny?" Piper questioned.

Nico shook his head. "Nothing, we've just established that Bianca is a bitch."

Piper laughed and leaned back in her seat as Jason took a sip of his drink and said, "That ship sailed a while ago."

Nico glanced over at a silent Thalia, then requested, "Thalia, can I talk to you?"

She looked up at him with sad, blue eyes, and nodded as Nico held out his hand. She grabbed it and he led her back up the staircase and down the hall to his room.

Annabeth watched them walk off with happiness in her eyes.

"Annabeth." She whirled around to see Percy smiling at her. "Come over here already."

She smiled brightly and walked right up to him. As she bent to sat down, he grabbed her by her hips, ultimately pushing her into his lap. He dug his head into the crook of her neck and whispered, "You got him to laugh."

"I know."

"That's amazing."

"You're amazing."

Percy pulled back to look at her with skeptic eyes. "What?" she asked. "I can't be cheesy sometimes too?"

Percy rolled his eyes as tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Several minutes later, Thalia and Nico were back, and this time his arm was around her waist and they were both smiling.

They sat next to Annabeth and Percy, and Nico glanced at Percy, and some silent message was shared between them. It was quick, and afterwards they turned away an glanced up at their girlfriends.

Percy's phone buzzed, and he groaned before pulling it out and announcing, "Text from Leo."

Piper snorted. "This should be good."

"He said, and I quote, "Heard the news, and tell Nico I'm terribly sorry. However, being in that house must suck, and since the funeral isn't until two weeks from now, we should ditch school this week and go to Hazel's log cabin, which is huge, considering her dad in some huge diamond company"."

"Are we going?" Jason spoke up after a minute or two.

Nico glanced at Percy and smiled. "I'm in if you are."

Percy glanced up at Annabeth, silently telling her that he was fair game if she was.

Percy's phone buzzed, and he read aloud, "Beckendorf, Clarisse, Chris, Silena, Travis, Connor, Lou Ellen, Katie, Hazel, and Frank are already going."

This time, everyone looked at Annabeth, and she was quiet for a moment before saying, "Text him back and say we're in."

**Was that good? Like seriously be honest because I really rushed that so I apologize for any mistakes. I'm really trying to update a lot because once school starts back my updating won't be frequent, like, at _all_. So be honest and tell me how you're liking the story so far!**

**R&R**


	7. In Which Things Go Horridly Wrong

**_My playlists don't really have much to do with my chapters, they're mostly what I'm listening to while writing the chapter. Some of them are really weird and you might wonder why I could listen to something so odd and write at the same time, but just go with it. Some are explicit (if they are I will mention it) and some just have completely irrelevant lyrics. Some are rap, some are R&B, some are pop, some are indie, but I don't have any country music. Sorry, it's just not my thing._**

**_Drive - Miley Cyrus_**

_**Can't Pretend - Tom Odell**_

**_The Knowing - The Weeknd_**

The Bet

Chapter Six: In Which Things Go Horridly Wrong

_"If you think it can't get worse, it can."_

Annabeth anxiously paced around her bedroom.

She was awaiting the arrival of someone important, and even though wriggling her toes into the plush carpet helped when she was younger, nothing was easing her nerves now. The meeting had to be quick, because although it was around midnight, Percy and the others would be picking her up in two hours...and she hadn't packed at all.

_So he better be here soon,_ she thought angrily. _Otherwise I'm locking my windows and getting mom to cut down that stupid tree._

Annabeth continued to pace and rubbed her knuckles; another odd habit that surfaced when she was nervous.

"Hello."

Annabeth swung around to see none other than Malcolm Chase leaning against her grey wall. Her eyes narrowed and she stated sharply, "You're late."

Malcolm shrugged nonchalantly. "Being dead is busy stuff. You know, never getting to know anybody because according to everyone else, you're no longer alive."

Annabeth scowled and plopped onto her bed. "You chose to fake your death," she pointed out with an accusing finger. "So don't blame it on me."

Malcolm arched an eyebrow as he pushed off the wall and strode towards her bed. "Who says I'm blaming you?" he inquired as he sat down gracefully on her bed.

Annabeth snorted and turned away from him to face the window.

"Well, then," Malcolm chuckled to himself before getting up. "That was unladylike."

"Serves you right," Annabeth said indignantly. "You scared the shit out of me when you decided to "stop by" two weeks after your funeral."

Malcolm picked up a photo off her desk of both of them when they were younger. They were having a picnic with Frederick and Athena, and had toothy grins on their faces.

"You know," Annabeth said as she picked at a hangnail. "I never understood why you faked your death."

Malcolm set the picture down and shot her a hard look. "You know my reasoning," he snapped. "Stop acting as if you're in the dark."

"Sure," Annabeth agreed with a frown. "I know you're reasoning...doesn't mean I get it, though."

"I hated being in the spotlight," he said with a shrug. He ran his fingers through his unruly blonde hair and took a seat on her bed. Although he was her brother, even Annabeth had to admit he was handsome. "So I faked my death so it could be the way I wanted; I'm invisible."

Annabeth chuckled humorlessly and grabbed one of her pillows. "What's funny?" Malcolm asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You can't sit here and honestly tell me that you honestly don't see the irony."

Malcolm stood up and took the pillow from her before sitting back down. "No," he disagreed. "Enlighten me."

"People are fighting their entire lives to be in the spotlight, yet you faked your death just to get out of it."

Malcolm laid next to her and crossed his arms behind her. "Ironic, I know."

"Reyna's doing fine." Annabeth blurted. "I know you're curious, so don't pretend like you don't care."

"Correction," Malcolm held up a finger. "I'm not curious, because I visited her two days ago."

Annabeth hopped out of bed and walked to her closet. "C'mon, Malcolm," she scolded as she hauled out her duffle and athletic backpack. "You can't keep staring at your ex-girlfriend while she sleeps."

"That's funny," Malcolm said. He had a look of remembrance on his face; as if he were recalling something that happened long ago. "Because last I checked, there wasn't a law that prohibited a dead guy from visiting his ex." He stood up and walked towards her dresser before adding, "And she's not my ex. Ex means we broke up...I died."

"That is so morbid," Annabeth snorted as he handed her clothes to put into the suitcase. "Besides, when are you going to move on? Didn't you plan the consequences of faking your death?"

Malcolm shrugged as she continued to load up her suitcase. "I was always impulsive."

"God, Malcolm," Annabeth shook her head. "You even talk about yourself in past tense."

Annabeth zipped up the suitcase and then strolled to the bathroom to pick up toiletries. Malcolm followed with her backpack in his hand. "Where are you going, anyway?" he wondered aloud. "I thought you had no friends."

Seeing no point in denying it, Annabeth shrugged and admitted, "That used to be true, but my boyfriend-"

Annabeth paused and shut her eyes. "Boyfriend?"

Annabeth resumed with stuffing her backpack and instead tried to be nonchalant. "Yeah," she replied. "Boyfriend."

"Who?" Malcolm, instead of sounding demanding, just sounded curious. "Would I know him? Technically I've only been dead for two years."

Annabeth cringed, because she knew without a shadow of doubt that he knew who her boyfriend was. She slowed her pace and took more time to neatly set things in her bag.

"Oh, shit," Malcolm breathed. "I know him, but not in a good way...unless I'm wrong."

Annabeth grabbed things like her phone, charger, earphones, and books and stuck them in the remaining space of the bag before sitting down on her bed. "You wouldn't happen to know Percy Jackson, would you?"

Malcolm's face was stone cold before he began to laugh and took a seat next to her. "Stop joking around, Annabeth," He shoved her playfully. "We both know that someone as popular as Percy wouldn't even spare you a glance."

The words would've probably hurt from anyone else, but Annabeth knew how much anger, resentment, and bitterness was in Malcolm's heart, so she let it slide. "Malcolm, I'm not joking." she persisted. "Percy's my boyfriend...we're happy with one another."

Malcolm's face went from amused to serious in a matter of nanoseconds. "Shit," he swore under his breath, though she still heard it. "You're serious."

"It's okay," Annabeth deadpanned. "I understand that you're not one for serious brotherly talks and shit."

Malcolm nodded before standing up and heading towards the window. She knew he was leaving, like always, but instead of climbing down the tree without a goodbye like he usually did, he turned around with a soft expression and said quietly, "Be careful, Annie."

He was gone after that, but Annabeth whispered back, "Be careful, big brother."

~o0o~

"Sparky," Piper whispered from the passenger seat, a small but overall dazzling smile on her face. "Look."

Jason had been driving for only an hour, but due to it being around 3 AM, his eyes sagged and he kept on draining his cup of coffee, no matter how many times they stopped at Starbucks for more. "Pipes," he sighed tiredly. "I think it'd be in best interest for everyone if I kept my eyes on the road."

"But Jason," Piper rubbed his arm soothingly. "This is a sight that I promise you'll never forget."

"Like you in a bikini?" he joked, and Piper smacked him on the arm.

"Better than that." she said sweetly, not in the mood to berate her perverted boyfriend.

Jason scoffed, "I doubt it."

Piper rolled her eyes and urged, "Just do it, okay?"

Annabeth really wanted to point out the fact that they weren't as quiet as they thought they were. She peaked open one eye, and was grateful for the darkness of the early morning. The moon hung high in the sky, and they were driving on a road that was bordered with trees. They didn't look green; more like a dark, bluish black that made her shudder.

"Talk louder," she spoke in a raspy voice. "I dare you."

Piper and Jason quieted down, and Annabeth smiled at her influence and tried to get comfortable again. Her attire of leggings and one of Percy's Diamond Supply sweatshirt was enough to make anyone sleep well, and the light drizzle of rain pelting against the car was most relaxing.

"Annabeth," Percy groaned lightly, his voice thick with sleep. "Please go back to sleep, so I can go back to sleep." To add emphasis, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Her face pressed against his football sweatshirt, and she inhaled his sweet, ocean scent before nestling her head into his chest.

However, when she tried to move, she became very aware something on her lap. It was quite heavy and she squinted her eyes open. It was still dark; dark enough to the point she couldn't really tell what was on her lap. Thankfully, it was attached to a neck, and the neck was attached to a lean body, so Annabeth was able to whisper, "Leo?"

He dug his head further into her lap and groaned, "Mom, I'm not ready to get up."

"Leo," she hissed quietly. "Can you please take your head off my lap?"

"C'mon, Annabeth," Piper turned around from the front with a knowing smile. "Just let the poor kid sleep."

When they first got in the SUV, Annabeth wanted to complain that Leo should sit in the second row with Thalia and Nico, but then Percy whispered in their ear about how they needed space. Annabeth had talked to Nico an awful lot since his mother died, and as a couple, Thalia and Nico needed time to just be together. Currently, Nico was sitting on the left seat with Thalia lying against him. She put her feet up in the empty right seat and Nico had his arms wrapped around her.

Percy was the master of relaxation, and upon getting in the car, he had put on his Beats, turned his "Sleep" playlist up high, pressed shuffle, and had been asleep ever since. Annabeth, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. It took an hour of thinking about the amazing person next to her, her now crazy but wonderful life, and a few hilarious jokes from Leo before she finally passed out.

And thanks to Piper wanting to stay up with Jason, they just had to start talking...and stopping for Starbucks coffee every five minutes.

_Seriously, though, _she thought to herself. _Are they that tired?_

"Annabeth," Percy murmured, and she felt his chest vibrate.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"Please do me a favor and fall asleep," he groaned quietly. "_Please,"_

Annabeth nodded against his chest and muttered, "Fine."

"I told you!" Piper exclaimed, albeit quietly, and hit Jason on the arm.

"Ow," Jason moaned. "C'mon, Pipes? Twice?"

"Stop being a baby." she said teasingly. "You get hit by six foot guys in pads, but your girlfriend hits you once and you're already cowering back?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Six foot guys have never met you, in my defense."

"Do you guys even know where you're going?" Annabeth asked.

Jason shrugged, "More or less, but I could really use some gas."

Several minutes passed before they took an exit and drove into the lot of the nearest gas station. Jason took the initiative and got out to pump the gas while Annabeth looked out the window. She saw a flash of blonde, and wondered what Jason was doing. There was a loud _Clank!_ from the pump dropping and Annabeth let curiosity get the better of her.

"Jason!" she called out.

"ANNABETH!" Thalia, Nico, Leo, and Percy groaned. "Shut up!"

"Wait, no, she's right!" Piper said fearfully as she hastily unbuckled her seatbelt. "Jason's gone!"

That peaked everyone's interest and suddenly everyone in the car was opening the doors and looking around. "Jason!" Piper called out.

"Over here!"

It was undeniably Jason's voice, but it was filled with shock.

Piper was the first to follow his voice, but when she finally saw the mop of blonde hair that belonged to Jason, she stopped in her tracks and gasped. Everyone behind her ran into one another, and Leo rubbed his head before saying, "Damn it, Pipes."

"Is that...?" Piper trailed off in awe.

They all stepped out behind her and looked for themselves.

Jason was there all right, but he wasn't alone. Another blonde man was standing next to him with a grin, and Percy hurriedly looked at Annabeth and said, "Annabeth..."

The blonde man's eyes finally reached her's, and he said slyly, as if he knew exactly that it hadn't even been several hours since he last saw her, "Annabeth! Long time no see."

Annabeth grunted at the fact that he had followed her, and crossed her arms over her chest before saying the dreaded words that were unbelievable to everyone else there,

"Hello, Malcolm."

**He's alive, and things are definitely starting to get weird.**

**And stay tuned, because it's only getting weirder.**

**R&R**


	8. The Theory of Sibling Empathy

_**Don't You Remember - Adele**_

_**High Hopes - Kodaline**_

_**Like Real People Do - Hozier (I suggest you put this on repeat and listen to it while reading the entire chapter)**_

The Bet

Chapter Seven: The Theory of Sibling Empathy

_"In the end, the choices we make are the essence of who we are. Nothing more, nothing less, and no escaping it."_

"You don't like me."

That was the understatement of the century.

Annabeth blatantly ignored her brother as Percy handed her luggage to transfer to Malcolm's car. "Are you sure about this?" Percy asked with a worried face. He, like everyone else, was somewhat shaken up by seeing someone who was presumed as dead, but he was handling it pretty well, in her opinion.

"Of course I am." Annabeth said through gritted teeth as she loaded her stuff into Malcolm's trunk, or, rather, _her _trunk, considering he stole the keys and car to follow her. "If anyone's going to deal with my dick of a brother," she spat angrily and hastily closed the trunk. "It should be _me_."

Percy ran his hands up and down her arms before pulling her into a hug. "I know it's unfair," he whispered into her ear. "But I'm somewhat mad that you lied to me." Annabeth pulled away from the hug with an arched brow, and he rolled his eyes playfully before adding, "Fine, I'm also mad because this was supposed to be our time together. Football and school have been crazy, and we have to make time to talk." He picked up her intertwined hands and blew into them. "And if you haven't noticed, that _sucks_."

"Oh c'mon," Both of them turned to see Malcolm leaning against the passenger seat door. "This is Annabeth we're talking about...not much to miss."

Percy's eyes narrowed in anger, but Annabeth placed her hands on his chest and whispered, "He's a cynical and bitter son of a bitch, Percy." She gave him another hug before adding in his ear, "He didn't fake his death for no reason."

Percy looked at her skeptically as Jason, Piper, Nico, and Thalia walked up to her. Thalia and Piper kept on sneaking glances at Malcolm, but Jason and Nico kept their eyes firmly planted on Percy. "So you're leaving now?" Piper spoke up. "Because you came on this trip to come with us, and you shouldn't let your dead brother ruin that."

"I'm right here," Malcolm raised his hand slightly with a sad smile. "In case you forgot."

"I did," Piper countered back. "Because you're supposed to be cremated in a jar over Annabeth's mantle."

"That's enough!" Annabeth snapped, and her sudden harshness caused everyone, especially Percy, to look at her with concern.

Jason began to whisper in Piper's ear about how rude it was of her to say that to Annabeth's brother. Annabeth, on the other hand, was just in a bad mood and wanted nothing more than to go home.

"Why are you defending him, anyway?" Thalia asked with anger in her eyes. "He faked his death, and to make matters even worse, you knew about him being alive and didn't tell anyone...not even Reyna." Her voice got quiet at the end, and even Annabeth swallowed thickly.

"He's family." She looked down at her shoes. "Wouldn't you hold on to any family you had left, even if they had done something terrible?"

Everyone was silent after that, but Thalia and Piper shared an undesirable look before angrily walking towards Jason's cars and getting in without a single glance towards her.

Jason shot Annabeth a helpless look, and Annabeth bit her lip and said quietly, "Go, Jason." She mustered some strength and said louder, "They need you, okay? So just go."

Jason gave her a brief hug to assure her that he was on her side and would talk sense into his girlfriend and sister, and then he was gone as quick as he came.

Nico was next, and despite everything, he just smiled at her. She and Nico had talked and become such close friends since his mom died, and they knew each other as well as lifelong friends would know one another. He shot her a good luck wink, and started walking towards the car. His hands grasped the car door handle, but he paused before turning back around to her and saying, "Good luck, Chase..." His eyes flickered to Malcolm, and Malcolm shuddered. "You'll need it."

Once he was gone, Percy was the only one left. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered, "Are you sure you don't want to go with us?"

Annabeth closed her eyes but nodded. "Yes," Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at him through her lashes. "I'm sure."

"Promise me you'll explain all of this," he softly pleaded and kissed her nose. "You're not going to leave things like this, are you?"

"Of course not," she replied immediately. "My mom already told the principal about my absence of the week, and you'll have time to comfort Nico..." She bit her lip. "I just need a week, Percy." she admitted. "I just need a week to hopefully understand my brother, and then I can explain everything to you." Percy nodded before she requested, "Don't tell anyone, okay? Tell the others to not tell anyone else about this."

She then pressed her lips against his in a sweet, loving kiss. His hands roamed up and down her sides before he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"C'mon," Malcolm complained. "Can't you eat each other another time?"

Percy pulled away and rested his forehead against her's. "I'm not fond of your brother." he said rather bluntly, causing Annabeth to chuckle.

"Yeah," she agreed. "That makes two of us."

Percy let go of her with a sad smile and made his way back to Jason's car and got in. Annabeth watched the car until it was a small crumb in the distance.

"You love him," Malcolm chuckled, causing Annabeth to turn around with a perplexed look. "You love him but you don't want to say it."

Annabeth didn't even consider playing dumb. "So what? I don't want to say it because I'm not ready."

Malcolm walked around the front of the car and opened the door to the driver's seat. "You're still a terrible liar."

Ananbeth opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat before shutting the door. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

Malcolm put on his seatbelt and put the car in drive. "You don't say it because you're afraid he won't say it back."

Annabeth turned away from him and looked out the window; he had pointed out her fear, and was dead on.

"You fear he's ashamed of you," Malcolm continued. "Because of your social status. Even though he tells you it doesn't matter, you always feel as if he's lying."

A stray tear fell from her eye and she quickly wiped it away. "And no matter what sweet gesture he does to prove his affection, a small part of you always feels as if he's lying."

"How do you know all of this?" Annabeth asked quietly.

"Because," Malcolm said with his head hung low. "It's how Reyna felt with me."

Annabeth looked at her brother with sympathy, and he put the car in gear before saying, "Popularity and trust don't go hand in hand. And if our relationship is anything like you and Percy's, then you need to trust him. Because from what I've seen, he loves you, just as I loved Reyna."

Annabeth's eyes teared up and she let out a sob mixed with longing and sadness before throwing her arms around her brother.

Tear stains appeared on his shirt, but he hugged her back and allowed himself for the first time in forever to miss his little sister.

She pulled away and told him, "The light is green, Malcolm."

He looked forward and agreed, "Yeah, you're right."

The road was empty, and they were the only ones sitting at the light.

"So where are we going?" Annabeth asked with a small smile.

"Does forward sound good to you?" Malcolm asked, and she read into his words and realized what he was asking.

Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Forward sounds good to me."

Malcolm smiled before putting the car into gear and lurching forward.

~o0o~

Percy opened the door to his temporary room and set his luggage in the corner. Looking out the window, he could see it was still dark, and he yawned, realizing how tired he was.

He removed his sweatshirt, revealing a white wife beater, and slipped into his bed. He couldn't stop thinking about his girlfriend, and how although this trip was supposed to be for them, her dead brother came in the middle of it.

Why did he fake his death? Why didn't Annabeth tell him? Why, why, why?

Percy looked out the window to see the bright stars and startling moon. He sighed to himself before getting comfortable and whispering, "Goodnight, Annabeth,"

His heart clenched at her name, so he allowed himself one moment of weakness and whispered, "I love you, and I hope you love me, too."

**Anyone who listened to "Like Real People Do" while reading, didn't it totally fit? I know this is a short chapter, but two updates in one weekend! I'm supposed to be doing homework, but that's just too boring. This was meant to be short and sweet, but just wait, the real trouble is coming...and soon.**

**R&R**


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